Redefining Completeness

If you spend any time with transportation planners, you will hear the term “complete street” bantered about, but what does it really mean?

Broadly, it means that a street is designed for all users – it is safe, comfortable, and convenient for people who are driving, walking, biking, using public transportation, or operating a freight truck.

Taking this to the extreme, does that mean to be “complete,” we want sidewalks on the interstate or 18-wheelers rumbling past your house? Perhaps not. I’d venture to say that walking along the interstate or trying to maneuver a semi in a residential neighborhood would likely not be safe, comfortable, or convenient for anyone involved.

Over the next year, COMPASS will be updating its Complete Streets policy – originally developed in 2009. As part of that update, we’ll be redefining what we mean by “complete streets” by shifting from looking at individual complete “streets” to focusing on a complete transportation “network.”

A network approach takes a larger perspective than a single road and considers the land uses and the parallel roads in the network. Can a parallel road provide a better experience for a bicyclist or pedestrian? What kinds of traffic will the surrounding uses attract?

For example, in a highly industrial area, the focus may be on designing streets with freight vehicles in mind – is there room for large trucks to back up, turn corners, and park? A block or two away, a parallel route may be designed as a bike boulevard. In a downtown area, we might design the streets to encourage walking, with wide sidewalks, benches, shade trees, and more. A different street may give buses a priority. That way, all users in an area have a road that meets their needs.

Similarly, do we need a sidewalk on every rural highway to be “complete”? Probably not. But, if there is a school along a highway, that changes the picture. Similarly, do rural roads need extra wide shoulders for cyclists? Some probably do; some probably don’t. Some may need to go a step further and include separated bike paths.

The bottom line is that “complete” can look different in different places with different users and needs. We can provide safer, more comfortable, and more convenient streets for all users by taking a “network” approach and redefining what it means to be “complete.”